Carol Stream mayor: Flood relief efforts will help

Carol Stream Village President Frank Saverino said Wednesday during his annual State of the Village address that a flood control project planned at Armstrong Park will help mitigate flooding in the area -- but won't solve it completely. A large dirt mound sits at the construction site now, but the project is expected to begin this year.Paul Michna | Staff Photographer

A house is demolished Wednesday at 470 Silverleaf Blvd. in Carol Stream as part of a voluntary buyout program that was offered to residents in the flood-prone neighborhood.Bev Horne | Staff Photographer

Carol Stream Village President Frank Saverino said Wednesday the stormwater management system set for construction in Armstrong Park might not solve all the village's flooding problems, but it will help.

The project will consist of two aboveground reservoirs on the south side of the park and a siphon that will release stormwater to a downstream point in Klein Creek.

Construction could begin as early as this summer.

While it's intended to help ease flooding in the park and nearby neighborhood, it won't rid the area of flooding completely, Saverino said.

Flooding was one of the topics Saverino discussed during his annual State of the Village address at a Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

"On this last flood that we had, I'm not so sure that this would have even made a difference," Saverino said of the project in Armstrong Park. "I think all the work we've done in the past has made a difference: all the cleanups we've done, all the shoreline work, getting everything out of the creek. I think this is going to help on a big flood where we can hold some water back, but I'm not so sure it'll ever really work as the way we wanted it. It's a good step."

He also acknowledged some nearby residents weren't pleased when they saw blueprints for the project that indicate one of the reservoirs will have a 12-foot berm on one side that they'll have to see every day. However, the project will "save the area," Saverino said.

The project was authorized by way of an intergovernmental agreement approved by the park district, village and county boards in 2011. The park board already has reviewed and approved final plans for the project. The village board is expected to consider approval May 20.

County officials have said the project is estimated to cost $8 million -- $5 million of which will come from a bond issue, while they explore additional funding sources for the remaining amount.

Jim Knudsen, the village's director of engineering services, said the county is still waiting for plan review comments from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a safety permit before the project can commence. The county is planning to put the project out to bid this month. It could be complete by the end of the year, Knudsen said.

Another intergovernmental flood relief effort Saverino discussed is a voluntary buyout program of some homes in the area south of Armstrong Park -- what was considered the original Carol Stream subdivision and is often the most flood-prone.

Just hours before Saverino's speech began, demolition crews were tearing down a house at 470 Silverleaf Blvd. that the village purchased using a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Three other homes -- two on the 500 block of Silverleaf Boulevard and one on the 300 block of Illini Drive -- were previously purchased from their owners and torn down.

The village now owns all four properties, which are being kept as open space.

Another four homes are on the county's flood plain buyout list, but no funding is available for purchase and demolition, Knudsen said.

Saverino also said village staff met with Federal Emergency Management officials Tuesday to discuss the effect of the April 18 floods that resulted in a disaster declaration from Gov. Pat Quinn. Carol Stream, like other governmental agencies, is trying to get reimbursed for flood response costs, such as employee overtime and equipment.

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